TONYA MCKENZIE

SPEAKER. AUTHOR. MENTOR. INFLUENCER. ADVOCATE.

Mission, Focus, Values, and Expertise

Committed to activating and motivating women and youth to get engaged, be active and stand against those things that hinder our growth, safety and happiness.

Preventing, Identifying & Treating Non-Combat PTSD

Non-Combat PTSD addresses the trauma that many suffer in their homes and neighborhoods, as opposed to the battlefield. The numbers are hard to measure but we do know that there is a large percentage of our youth that suffer from this condition and go undiagnosed and untreated. Identifying the condition through the symptoms and acknowledging that one is possibly suffering from Non-Combat PTSD is the first steps to treating the condition and identifying trigger for a better quality of life for youth and adults.

Restorative Justice & Youth Empowerment

In a time where being complacent seems like the easy thing to do, I encourage our youth to take an active role in their civic responsibilities and get involved with the political process because it is their opportunity to have input in the direction of the country and their lives. After each address, we can provide location appropriate resources on how to get started and programs that they can get involved with.

Multi-Generational Dysfunction

When destructive relationship patterns get passed down from generation to generation, we must put a stop to it and set new precedent for our family’s future generations. This can range from those that witness domestic violence, substance abuse and other mental health issues without treatment. Taking steps to identify the behavior(s), those that impart dysfunction on your family and eliminating the element requires various steps to ensure a more pleasant family environment.

Modern Day Active Parenting

Having great communication with your kids to not only know what is going on in society but what is going on in their lives is the most important element of today’s parenting. It is required that we are active in their lives and constantly preparing and fighting for a safe future for our youth.

Community Engagement

Understand local politics. Find your voice and get involved. As our cities grow and evolve, there will be things that you do not like or changes that you would like to see. Don’t think that your voice doesn’t matter. Get involved. Get educated on the issues. Take a stance. Be an active part of the solution. We examine the various ways that each of us can be involved and engaged in what takes place in our communities.

With more than 20 years of public relations and marketing experience, Sand and Shores was established out of the growing need for exposure for authors, speakers, personalities, events, organizations, and entrepreneurs.

Who is Tonya McKenzie?

Tonya McKenzie has more than 20 years of public speaking experience at schools of higher education, local politics, corporate training & leadership, and community relations. Tonya started early in her career with campaign speeches to run and be elected to an Associated Student Directorship position at CSUN, the president of her Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and President of the NPHC chapter on campus. As an Associated Executive Director at the Mt. Diablo Region YMCA, Tonya co-authored the FIT Kids Manual for the Contra Costa Health Services. Tonya also served as a staff trainer and a CPR/AED trainer for the American Red Cross, training over 200 youth and adults in the Bay Area. Mrs. McKenzie was the first African American elected to the Oakley Chamber of Commerce as a Director where she chaired a successful Annual Almond Festival and Citizen of the Year event. Tonya has coached competitive cheerleading at the middle school and high school level and also chartered Omega Kappa Zeta, graduate chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. in Northern California. Tonya was appointed and served on the Youth Council for Contra Costa County Supervisor Federal Glover, facilitated & MC’d events for Contra Costa County’s Supervisor Mary Piepho and moderated political discussions and debates for past Oakley, CA Mayor, Brad Nix. Tonya is currently serving as the first African American women elected to the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors and serves on the City of Redondo Beach GPAC (General Plan Advisory Commission) shaping the esthetics of this beachside city for the next 20 years. She is also a very active member of The League of Women Voters.
You can find Tonya McKenzie highlighted in the pages of Amazing Moms: Parents of the 21st Century. Mrs. Tonya McKenzie is the author of a memoir titled, A Child's Memories of Cartoons and Murder. This well-crafted book covers her survival of gun violence, sexual assault and substance as a child and the incredible story of her resilience that guided her through various other episodes of violence and chaos throughout her young life. She covers topics that she passionately speaks about; non-combat PTSD, predatory behavior, generational dysfunction and domestic violence. Tonya has culminated her work with the nonprofit, private and the public arena to step out and speak up for the empowerment of women, the future of our children and disadvantaged youth.

Book and Speaking Engagements

Featured Books and Speaking Engagements by Tonya McKenzie

Black Women Rock Nationally

3rd Annual Encouragement Awards

KEEP YOUR DREAMS FRESH – Look at your current goals or items that you have put on the shelf and revisit them with fresh ideas and a new enthusiasm to accomplish your end-goals. Don’t let old, stale ideas and information hinder your growth and the ability to make it happen.

L.A. County Foster Kids

Youth Civic Engagement Workshop

GET ENGAGED TO MAKE A CHANGE – The foster youth of LA county are a victim of circumstances that were beyond their control. Getting involved and engaged in the civic process is a real opportunity to start to have a say in the things that you don’t like, advocate the things that you do like and spend time being a part of the solution. Each student is also given a resource guide to get started including how to get registered early.

I Have A Dream Foundation

Youth Advocacy and Empowerment

DISTRATCTIONS & DYSFUNCTION, ELIMINATE AND AVOID IT FOR OPTIMAL SUCCESS- Throughout their educational journey, each student will encounter their fair share of obstacles. I spoke to the future college students and interns about prioritizing, decision making and boundaries to give them their best chance at success along with getting involved with their universities and outside organizations that support their career goals.

I Have A Dream Program

Youth Empowerment

EMPOWER THE KIDS & KEEP DREAMING – I had the opportunity to speak to the kids about my childhood, where I am from and my journey through the educational system to the career that I have now. I shared some of the positive aspects of public relations and encouraged each of them to explore their talents and passion to drive them towards their careers.

Black Speakers Network

Speaker Development Class

PR YOUR LIFE TO INCREASE SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS – I had the opportunity to speak to over 300 listeners/views about Identity Branding combined with Public Relations to grow their businesses. We use both elements to fulfill the optimal goal of increasing their notoriety and booking more speaking engagements.

Black Women Elevate

Woman Empowerment

DELETE THE DYSFUNCTION TO ELEVATE YOUR GAME – The amazing Felicia Davis brings her tour of The Black Women’s Leadership Collective to Los Angeles where I will be speaking on ways to cut out dysfunction to increase our level of success along with ways that we can support each other.

Purchase The Book "A Childs Memories of Cartoons and Murder" by Tonya McKenzie

Appearances, News, and Information

I think at this point we all understand what’s at stake in this election. there is a debate about taxes, border security, healthcare and some random other things that matter a lot less than our kids, which gets very little coverage in elections and political debates these days. There was a time that we ragedRead more about Reelecting Al Muratsuchi for the Kids[…]

April 30, 2018 TheMomKind #WeLoveMoms Welcome to our Amazing Moms Monday series! Motherhood comes in all shapes and sizes. Mothers come from varying different backgrounds, each with their own unique story. Mom’s have one of the most fulfilling jobs in the world! Too often, we lose sight of what is most important and focus on what we feelRead more about Amazing Moms Mondays Featuring Tonya McKenzie[…]

Originally posted November 02, 2017 Tonya McKenzie Authenticity Allows For Growth Public Relations for small businesses may seem like a luxury, however, Tonya McKenzie would beg to differ. Her firm, Sand & Shores, is a public relations firm with storytelling and identity branding is incorporated to increase client’s exposure to the marketplace. Her niche marketRead more about Authenticity Allows for Growth[…]

http://theveteranwoman.com/diva-dysfunction-tonya-mckenzie/ The Diva of Dysfunction Tonya McKenzie The Diva of Dysfunction, Tonya McKenzie joins Airial on this episode of The Veteran Woman Podcast! There is so much wisdom contained within this episode that it’s impossible to summarize. This one goes deep into success principles to live by. From dealing with extreme life events to caringRead more about The Diva of Dysfunction Tonya McKenzie[…]

Original Article Posted: Voyage LA, September 11, 2018 Today we’d like to introduce you to Tonya McKenzie. Tonya, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far. My first marketing position was granted to me by Dr. Fred Strache of Cal State University, NorthridgeRead more about Meet Tonya McKenzie of Sand & Shores PR in Redondo Beach[…]

I will be hosting a live Q & A on amafeed.com. If you or anybody that you know is struggling to function and strive while dealing with past trauma, let’s talk about it. If you have read the book, A Child’s Memories of Cartoons & Murder and you have some unanswered questions, AS ME ANYTHING onRead more about Ask Me Anything[…]

The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan group of women (and men) that does not endorse candidates or parties but instead conducts studies and come to a member agreement on positions to achieve solutions that are in the best public interest on key community issues at the national and state level. We motivate people to getRead more about Ballot Recommendations for November 6th[…]